Explore Business Standard
Don’t miss the latest developments in business and finance.
After an impressive show in last year's civic body polls in Godhra, a communally-sensitive town in Gujarat, the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM is now trying to build upon those gains in this Assembly seat in the upcoming state elections, banking on the minority base and division of votes of other candidates. The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) had won seven seats in the Godhra Municipal Council (GMC) polls last year and even tied up with independents to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its ideological foe, out of power. Independent candidate Sanjay Soni became the chairman of the GMC with the support of the AIMIM in February 2021, but severed ties with it in November that year after getting the support of the BJP which has 18 members in the 44-member house. In the upcoming Assembly polls, the AIMIM is making efforts to cement its position further, and aims to win the Godhra seat, currently held by the BJP. Godhra town in Panchmahal district in eastern Gujarat has h
All India Majalis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Imtiaz Jaleel said while the division in the Shiv Sena was "unfortunate", the positive thing for the Muslim community is that it will no longer be used as a "punching bag" by that party as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the tug-of-war between the two Sena factions led by Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would need Muslim votes, he said. Jaleel, who is AIMIM's MP from Aurangabad, made these statements while speaking to a Marathi News channel. "Shiv Sena was formed for the rights of Marathi people. Split in the party is unfortunate. I am also a Marathi although my party is different. I have nothing to do with Eknath Shinde or Uddhav Thackeray. But the BJP succeeded in splitting the Marathi people, which no one could do," he said. "But Muslims will no more be a punching bag here and this is a positive thing for Muslims. Earlier, BJP and Shiv Sena used Muslims as a punching bag...we see their earlier
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday evening declared his party's candidates for three seats for the coming Assembly elections in Gujarat. Elections in the BJP-ruled state, yet to be announced, are expected to be held by December. Sabir Kabliwala, president of the state unit of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen, would contest from Jamalpur-Khadia in Ahmedabad, Owaisi announced while addressing a gathering in Juhapura area here. The party's Dalit face Kaushika Parmar will contest from Danilimda (SC) seat of Ahmedabad, while Wasim Qureshi will contest from Surat-East. Jamalpur-Khadia and Danilimda seats are currently held by Congress while Surat-East is with the ruling BJP. In 2012, Kabliwala, a former Congressman, had contested from Jamalpur-Khadia, which has nearly 60 per cent Muslim population, as an Independent after he was denied ticket by the Congress. Due to a possible division of votes between Kabliwala and Congress's Samirkhan Pathan, BJP's Bhushan Bhatt .